


Take a Chance

by Originalobjecttheorist



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, BAMF Tony Stark, M/M, Parent Tony Stark, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-29 00:42:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18767668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Originalobjecttheorist/pseuds/Originalobjecttheorist
Summary: Five years ago Tony Stark lost, the Avengers lost, the universe lost but the Avengers never moved on. And five years later, after Tony finally has a family, is he ready to actually give up everything?





	Take a Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Written for WinterIron Bingo.  
> Square filled- Stroking Hair  
> Beta'd by the amazing [yuuki_Illene](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuuki_Illene/pseuds/yuuki_Illene)

“And…..I am Iron Man” Tony said with more bravado than he felt but he knew that it was necessary. He was scared to go, to leave Morgan, Peter and everyone else behind but he knew that this was the only way to save them. He had known since the moment Strange gave the time stone to Thanos five years ago.  
Five years ago, after everything, he was ready. He was ready to do whatever it took but returning home changed things. He wasn't even sure he'd get back home alive and Captain Carol Danvers came to his rescue like some kind of glowing, space Jesus and brought him and Nebula back to earth. He saw Steve, Natasha, Pepper, Bruce and Rhodey standing with a racoon, who was probably one of the crazy alien heroes who were friends with Thor, but he saw no sign of James and that almost broke his heart worse than the kid dying in his arms. He was way too starved and dehydrated to stand on his own but if he had been able to, seeing James gone would definitely have made his knees buckle. Steve was coming to take him from Nebula and into the compound and the only thing he could think, and the only thing he could say was, “I lost the kid.”  
Tony was looking at Steve, who responded, “We all lost.”  
Any hope that he had about James or any of the others being alive was just absolutely quashed, but he had to ask, “Is-” but Pepper appeared right then and hugged him tight with a whisper of, “Oh my God” cutting him off both verbally and literally, with the hug. And Tony hugged back, all thoughts of James momentarily forgotten when he saw a friendly face after he'd accepted death in the endless void of space.  
But now, five years later, after he had Morgan, his little Maguna, whom he'd adopted with Pepper as her second guardian. Pepper, who broke up with him because she couldn't handle such a relationship with him, she was still one of his closest friends and she'd agreed to co-parent Morgan whom they'd adopted as soon as he got well because he realised the fragility of his life. He knew he couldn't wait for life to settle down because it never would, but now he couldn't bear to leave them all behind, and just after they'd all come back from being dust, Peter, Strange. James. He almost couldn't, so he had taken precautions. But even he couldn't predict, with super powerful space rocks like these, so he couldn't help but think of the worst case scenario. He knew himself well enough to know that he would be doing this, regardless of his own survivability, that there would be no coming back, at least not for him. The moment he discovered how they could navigate the quantum realm relatively safely to travel through time and space he knew he may not be coming home. And that's why he'd recorded a bunch of videos for his little Maguna and left instructions for Pepper, Happy and FRIDAY regarding the viewing. He wasn't worried for Morgan's safety for a second because he knew she'd be in good hands but he never wanted her to have to grow up without a father. But the only way they could win was this. The only way the people he loved would even live to see a world would be this so he had to.  
The moment the infinity stones set in place in his armour the surge of power nearly bowled him over but he stood, or kneeled his ground. And snapped his fingers. Slowly but surely, Thanos’ army was turning to dust along with Thanos himself who had dropped to the ground when he realised that he was not, as he'd previously stated multiple times, inevitable. All of the Avengers and their allies were stood around in shock watching the enemy they were fighting turn to dust in front of their eyes.  
Tony stumbled, unable to stand up by himself anymore as his right side went numb and burned in pain. Rhodey immediately flew over, picking him up and propping him up against some debris as Peter, Pepper, James and Steve came up to him. Rhodey just brushed an armoured hand through his hair, conveying both his gratitude for saving all of their asses again and reassuring him in a way which could only be given by someone who'd known him for a long, long while. And he understood it because he had known Rhodey for just as long.  
Peter reached him next since he had been the closest and spoke to him in the frantic way of his, “We won, Mr. Stark” he said as he clung to Tony, gingerly, as it was obvious that Tony was hurt. He was barely conscious, drifting in and out of it, but he caught the last part of what Peter was saying to him, “..... Tony.”  
A metal hand appeared on Peter's shoulder, and it took him a moment to realise that the hand belonged to Pepper who moved Peter just before he could completely break down.  
Pepper took the place in front of him that Peter had recently vacated, he was now standing in front of Rhodey who had an arm on the kid's shoulder comforting him. It was confusing for Tony to drift between moments of consciousness where he was hyper aware of the things around him and falling unconscious from the pain which was mind numbing.  
“We will be okay, Tony.” Pepper said with her calm voice washing over him, her hand over his flickering arc reactor, which he didn't need anymore. And Tony was in too much pain to even nod to that. He blacked for another second and in that moment Pepper had moved away to stand beside Peter and Rhodey. James had taken her place in front of her and his metal hand was placed on his arc reactor, mimicking Pepper's position from a minute ago, and it reminded him of a time in the Siberian bunker which seemed so long ago now.  
James was looking like Jesus with the looks of a Greek god, as beautiful as he had ever been and Tony couldn't help crack a smile at the blue eyes that he thought he thought he might never get to see again, five years ago, painful as it was. James just let out a small laugh, stroking his flesh hand through Tony's hair, as Rhodey had done, but this felt different, “You've gotten old,” he said with a watery chuckle, as Tony fought to stay conscious. If this was the last time he'd get to see James he would stay awake for all of it.  
“Yeah, well, you're late, Manchurian candidate.” Tony said, his voice barely above a whisper as he finally fell unconscious.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](originalobjectwriter.tumblr.com)


End file.
